


Boogie Woogie Bugle God

by supersmileys (gingerninja)



Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Multi, Romance, World War II, historical story, other gods make an appearance, warnings might change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-14
Updated: 2014-03-05
Packaged: 2017-12-14 23:28:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/842668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerninja/pseuds/supersmileys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olaf's had a long history, but his grandsons know very little about what he's done - and they aren't necessarily interested. </p><p>That is, until an unexpected visitor turns up in his life, and it becomes time for Olaf to revisit his past and a few very special people he met during World War II. Some of them more powerful than others.</p><p>AU to Season 3, but not necessarily to Gods Among Us...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought we needed to know more about Olaf, and what kind of life he's lived through. Being around 20 years old when World War 2 broke out, I thought the opportunity to write about Olaf juggling the war and what being a god means was ripe. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it!

The four Johnson brothers didn’t know how lucky they had it. Sure, there was no denying that their god powers got them into trouble at the best of times, but at least they would live out relatively normal-length lives. The perpetual youth that being Baldr brought Olaf Johnson WAS valuable, but sometimes Olaf wished he didn’t have to skip out of town for several years so as not to draw suspicion to his very slow aging process. It wasn’t pleasant watching everyone else grow old and irrelevant, either. On his sadder days he looked forward to the idea that Axl might die prematurely and he wouldn’t have to suffer his curse for a second longer. At least then, people would be the ones mourning HIM, not the other way around.  
  
It wasn’t time to dwell on that, however! It was time for Olaf to have another joint. He was settled in his little den in Mike’s bar. Mike had given up trying to encourage Olaf to actually find a place of his own, and truth be told, Mike enjoyed the stability of having Olaf around permanently. He’d had little of his family members sticking around in the past, so Olaf made a nice change.  
  
Upstairs, Axl was helping Mike out in the bar, working off his substantial bar tab. The only customers in the bar, however, were Ty and Anders. The two of them were immensely enjoying getting their baby brother to rush around the bar, changing their mind every few minutes.  
  
“Can you get us a glass of the special 2008 sav that you’ve got going?...On second thought, better make that the 2009,” Anders said suddenly, just as Axl was pouring the wine in the glass.  
   “Fuck off! You get it yourself if you’re going to be a dick about ordering,” Axl grumbled, pushing the glass across the bar to Anders.  
    “That’s not very good customer service, though, is it Axl?” Ty smirked, taking a sip from the glass of scotch that he had ummed and ahhed for the best part of 20 minutes over whether or not to have ice with it (he eventually settled for  ice) while Axl stood impatiently with the open bottle, waiting for the okay to pour.  
  
“This is actually costing me money, you know, unless you want to pay for something every once in a while?” Mike suggested sarcastically. He had his feet up on a table and was also secretly enjoying watching Axl ferreting around after Ty and Anders, although he’d never admit it. Ty and Anders exchanged looks.  
  
“Nah,” they said, clinking their glasses together.  
   “Where’s Olaf? I thought he’d be all up for the free alcohol and making me sweat to get it for him,” mused Axl.  
  “Olaf was looking a bit down, and I didn’t want to disturb him. He knows where we are, and he certainly knows he needs to come up here if he wants alcohol,” Mike replied.  
  
“Olaf being down, that’s not like him, is it?” Anders asked, aiming a questioning look at Mike.  
Mike shrugged.  
  “Who knows? I think normally when he feels like this he goes for a surf.”  
“Well, then why isn’t he going for a surf?” Ty inquired.  
   “I don’t know, why don’t you go ask him!” Jesus. His brothers were grown men, and yet sometimes they relied on Mike for basic common sense.  
  
Before anyone else could respond, they were interrupted by a young woman entering the bar.  
   “You’re a bit young here to be in a bar, aren’t you?” Anders said, but his tone was more flirtatious than accusatory. Ty rolled his eyes. The girl either was oblivious to Anders’ suggestive tone, or chose to ignore it.  
  
“Oh! No, I’m 20,” she said, pulling out a driver’s license and showing it to Axl at the bar. Anders subtly tried to lean over her shoulder to catch her name, but he nearly fell off his stool in the process. Ty sniggered as Anders balanced himself.  
  
“We’re actually closed for staff training today, sorry,” Mike informed her. He wasn’t going to let loose with Axl at the bar until he could be sure that Axl had it 100% under control.  
  “That’s okay, I’m not here to drink. I’m looking for an Olaf Johnson?” The four brothers exchanged glances. They had seen this scenario all too many times before when it came to Olaf.  
  
“Look, love, if you’re knocked up and you’re wanting money, you’re wasting your time. You’re not going to get jackshit from Olaf,” Anders said, shaking his head.  
  “I’m not pregnant! I’m here on behalf of my great-grandmother, who knew him.” This was not what they had expected. Apart from the odd vague story about his past misadventures, and a little about their grandmother, the Johnson brothers knew very little about Olaf’s life and people who were important to him. Least of all people who understood the truth about him.  
  
“This is a bit of an odd place for someone who’s nearly a hundred to hang out, isn’t it?” she asked, looking around the bar. Okay. So she didn’t know that Olaf didn’t age.  It was safe to assume that she didn’t know about Olaf being a god.  
  
“I’m not sure that he’s here, actually, uh…what was your name?” Mike asked. She turned to him.  
  “Sorry. I’m Jess.”  
“Right. Jess. Yeah, he’s not actually here at the moment,” Mike lied.  
     “I know he doesn’t age. Nana wouldn’t explain why, but she and my gran told me how he just stays looking young.” Jess was young, but she knew when people were lying to her. Her great-grandmother had also informed her that those close to Olaf would try and hide him from her, but that she was to keep hassling them until she saw him in person. The brothers were stricken. It was evident that even if Jess knew nothing about the Norse gods, her great-grandmother did. In fact, her great-grandmother was most likely a goddess herself.  
  
“Go get Grandpa, Axl,” Mike instructed Axl. 

Axl headed downstairs to Olaf’s little den. Olaf was sitting in a chair, gazing intently at the unlit joint in his hand.  
  “Olaf. Come upstairs. There’s someone here for you.” Olaf lifted his head slowly to look at his youngest grandson.  
  “I didn’t get another girl pregnant, did I?”  
  
“No. Unless you did 70 years ago.” Olaf blinked at Axl. His grandsons rarely made references to his past before they were born.  
   “ _What?!”_  
“Seriously, come upstairs. You’re going to want to see this.” Olaf swiftly got to his feet, dropping his joint on the floor, forgotten. He followed Axl up to the bar, and the reactions of both Jess and Olaf were equally as strong. Olaf didn’t say anything, but he stopped in his tracks, looking positively haunted.  
  
Jess, on the other hand, let out a gasp. “You look EXACTLY the same as you did in the pictures with Nana! You truly haven’t aged a day!”  
 “You look just like Dora,” Olaf breathed. He still looked completely sick to his stomach, but he remedied this by sitting down on one of the stools in the bar.  
“Why are you here? Where’s Dora?”  
  
Jess, for the first time, looked unhappy.  
  “Nana passed away yesterday morning,” she said quietly. “But her last request was for me to pass on this message to you.” She handed Olaf a sealed envelope. Olaf tore it open, and pulled out the note. It only took him a minute or so to read it, and he pulled it away from his face to stare in utter disbelief at Jess.  
  
“What? What does it say?” Axl asked on behalf of his brothers. Olaf’s eyes flicked to Axl, and then back to Jess.  
  
“I think it’s about time I properly told you about my time in World War II.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was just really a build-up for what most of the story is going to be about. It won't all be set in current day, in fact from now on it should mainly be set in the late 1930s/early 1940s during the war.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated this story (a SHAMEFULLY long amount of time, in fact!). I have a million excuses that will not be adequate, but now I have decided go in a slightly different direction since Season 3 aired (as well as the web series Gods Among Us). But I do plan to continue with this story, and I hope you guys are still willing to join me for the ride!

" _I think it's about time I properly told you about my time in World War II."_

Olaf sat at the table with his hands clasped and his fingers touching his lips. His brow was furrowed and he was clearly deep in thought.

"…Grandpa? Are you going to tell us your story?" Mike asked after several moments of silence followed. As though Olaf hadn't heard Mike, he suddenly turned to Jess and asked  
"Where are your parents? Grandparents?"

Jess shook her head.  
"They're out of the picture. Nana was my last – my last" she dissolved into tears and couldn't finish her sentence. Anders was first on the scene, swiftly producing a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and handing it to her. She nodded in thanks and accepted it. Olaf scrutinised her very intensely for a minute, before standing up.  
"I need a smoke."

Mike followed Olaf outside as Olaf lit up a cigarette.  
"Everything alright?"

"No." The truthfulness and bluntness of Olaf's answer surprised Mike a little. Something was clearly amiss. Mike looked at Olaf in hope of his elaboration.

"Well? Why not?" Olaf examined the cigarette in his fingers before taking another drag.

"Tobacco is the same now as it was 72 years ago." Olaf was often cryptic, but this time, he seemed morose over his thoughts. He still hadn't answered Mike's question, though.

"Okay, but why aren't you alright?" Answers. Answers were good. Olaf didn't always give proper answers, but Mike wasn't able to help unless he had any.

"Mikkel, I've barely changed in 72 years. I feel like I'm still trapped in the past. Terrible things happened, and I can't escape them." He held out his cigarette to his grandson. Mike hadn't smoked since he was about 21, but he accepted it from Olaf and took a drag.

"Well, maybe telling us the truth will help you move on from it and help you keep it as a just a story of the past," Mike suggested. When Olaf didn't look convinced, Mike changed tack.

"You might want to come inside anyway, this free booze offer is for a limited time only," he added.

"You give me free booze anyway," Olaf pointed out. But he pulled away from the wall he was leaning on, and headed back inside and took a seat. The four people inside the bar sat up interestedly when he returned and watched him earnestly for him to begin (even Anders!).

Olaf cleared his throat and began his story.  
  


* * *

 

_"In 1939, my mother and I had no proper home. I would travel from place to place, following the waves and working on odd jobs here and there. I met lots of different people, not all of them good. But I also had some very enjoyable times with young women my age. It sure was an eventful year…"_

September 1939 was a notable month for Olaf Johnson for more reasons that one. Firstly, it was the month that New Zealand declared war on Germany alongside Britain. Secondly, it was the month that Olaf Johnson first discovered he was going to be a father.

Or so he thought.

"We're going to have a baby!" she announced happily.

"That's fantastic news!" he hollered, lifting Betty off the ground and spinning her around once. Inwardly, he was panicking. He had made plans to travel overseas in a few months time, but this made things complicated. He hadn't seen Betty since July, either.

It WAS great news. For Betty. She had had dreams of being a mother for a number of years, and this put her ahead of most of her friends, who were still in the process of arranging weddings and engagements. For Olaf, less so. He still considered himself an eternal bachelor, and a pregnancy threw an unwanted spanner in the works.

"So, are you able to come and break the news to my parents this afternoon?" Olaf nearly dropped Betty in shock.

"I-what?" Parents were largely an unknown territory for Olaf. Including his own. The thought of visiting a girl's parents, much less to share in the news that she was pregnant was nauseating. He couldn't be a father. His own father had been largely absent, which was preferable because when he WAS around, he would drink and hit his mother. Olaf had vowed from a young age that he would never EVER hit a woman like his father did. But him actually being a father would be tempting fate a little too much for his liking.

Which is why he needed an excuse. He had a four step process that he went through tricky situations with such as this one.

"Betty, babe, I'm not sure I know what you mean." Step 1: play ignorant for as long as possible. That way, Olaf could safely scope out exactly what people meant without fear of being attacked.

"To tell them about our engagement, of course!" Step 2: Panic. Panic lots.

"Our…engagement?" Step 3: PANIC EVEN MORE. Olaf turned away from Betty and pulled a cigarette from his pocket, sticking it in his mouth. He was going to need a surf after this. He didn't remember proposing to Betty, but then again he didn't remember a lot of things. He blamed

"Not OUR engagement, you daft man! My engagement to Stanley. The father of my child. Why would you think WE were getting engaged?" Step Four:  _Phew._ Olaf exhaled from his cigarette and turned back to his friend. Betty didn't need to know of the internal panic that he had thinking that she was pregnant with HIS child. The way she looked at him made him suspect that she was thinking about the night they had spent in the barn. But if she was so sure that it wasn't his child, then he could relax a little.

"So…if you're getting married to Stanley, why am I the one breaking all this news to your parents?" Going and talking to Betty's parents would bring unwanted attention to his existence. His extended family had a reputation of insanity that he had managed to separate from himself. The moment that it emerged that his last name was 'Johnson', he'd be scrutinised from here all the way to the Catlins.

Betty's face fell.

"Stanley's not here. His unit was summoned down to Wellington a few days ago."

This confused Olaf. Stanley was in the army, but he wasn't important enough to be summoned anywhere outside the Hawkes Bay region. He was Olaf's drinking buddy and only signed up to the military because of pressure from his father, who had served in the Great War.

Olaf's own father had left the region to start a dairy farm further north before Olaf and his mother returned from seeing Anna Pavlova. Olaf was secretly relieved because he had hated how his father treated his mother. But it was unfortunate that she clearly still felt threatened by him, because they were always moving.

"Why would they need his unit?"

"The Prime Minister's worried. He'll be making a radio broadcast today, and rumour has it it'll be New Zealand announcing that they're going to war with Germany."

Olaf winced. War wasn't exactly his favourite thing in the world. He was born in the aftermath of World War 1, and while he was too young to remember the worst he knew that it fucked a lot of shit up. Another war would surely be worse, especially given the fact that he'd be around to remember it.

* * *

  
  
" _You remember a lot more than you let on, Grandpa."_

Axl was gazing at Olaf with fascination and concern.

"Well, young Axl, if I told you every single little thing that I remember, then you'd NEVER listen to my stories," Olaf said wryly.

"To be fair, Grandpa, we never – OW!" Anders glared at Ty, who had just kicked him in the shin.

"That day must have been scary," Mike said loudly, hoping to distract his brothers from a brawl in the bar. Olaf nodded seriously.

"Yes. Betty's father remains the scariest man I've ever met."

"I – I meant the war, Grandpa…"

"Oh, yes, well that too. But I still think that the way I handled myself that night with Betty's parents set the course for the rest of my life." His voice was low and dark.

"Why's that?" Axl sounded a bit spooked.

"Because Betty's father was the man who I spent a lot of time with. This was because he was my superior for the majority of my time in the war. The impression that I made with him that night was a reputation that I would never be able to shake."


End file.
